Syrians Protest Israeli Incursions After Civilian's Death

Hundreds of Syrians participated in protests across several cities on Friday, condemning repeated Israeli incursions into southern Syria. These actions led to the death of a civilian with special needs earlier in the week. Protesters gathered in cities including Damascus, Douma, Homs, and the town of Khan Arnabeh in Quneitra province, expressing anger over what they called repeated Israeli "attacks" in Quneitra and Daraa governorates. Demonstrators held Syrian flags and signs, one reading "We are all Maaz," in reference to the civilian who was killed on Thursday by Israeli forces during an incursion into the village of Jamla in western Daraa, according to the official SANA news agency. Another sign declared, "Syria will not be an open field for the occupation."

Syria accuses Israel of violating the 1974 disengagement agreement through its frequent incursions, house raids, and arrests in the southern part of the country, alongside artillery shelling, bulldozing, and tree cutting. Taysir al-Hariri, a former local official from Busra al-Harir in Daraa, stated, "The Syrian homeland is one, south, north, east, and west. We are one hand against the Israeli incursions."

Near the UN headquarters in Damascus, the family of a Syrian man arrested by Israel, including two young children, held signs demanding his release, with one reading "I want my father." According to a local official in Quneitra, Israeli forces have arrested 56 people since the previous regime was overthrown in late 2024, with most still in detention.

Syrian authorities condemned the killing of the disabled man on Thursday, with the Foreign Ministry issuing a statement calling the targeting of civilians a "grave violation of international law and international humanitarian law." The ministry emphasized that continued incursions and attacks on Syrian citizens violate the country's sovereignty and threaten regional security and stability.

Claudio Cordone, the Deputy UN Special Envoy to Syria, expressed regret on Thursday via "X" over the "killing of a young Syrian civilian with a disability by Israeli forces," urging Israel to "respect Syria's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and international law."

Since the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad's regime in December 2024, Israeli forces have conducted hundreds of raids in Syria. Their forces have advanced beyond the buffer zone adjacent to the occupied Golan Heights, reaching Mount Hermon, which separates Lebanon and Syria. Israel has announced its intention to establish a demilitarized zone in southern Syria, asserting its forces will remain in the area. In recent days, Israeli forces have bulldozed large olive groves in Quneitra province. The new Syrian authorities have engaged in direct negotiations with Israel for a security agreement, but no progress has been made.